Posts Tagged ‘sharia’

Earlier today it was agreed that a tribal region of Pakistan will be ruled by Sharia Law. The Malakand region (under NWFP Government rule) has been at the forefront of many Taliban uprisings; many soldiers have died in the region and recenetly pro-Taliban Pakistani civilians have taken over the Swat Valley.

This peace deal with pro-Taliban followers has meant that the region will now be ruled by Shariah Law.

Has Pakistan just set a precedent negotiating with a pro-Taliban movement? I hope not.

The Taliban are great for mis-interpreting Sharia Law and passing off many rulings that are not Shariah, as law. So what does this mean for the people of the region? Will Pakistan still have enough control to stop the uprising of a fundamentalist regime? Is this the start of a Pakistan ruled by Shariah Law?

For a country already in turmoil, this in my mind is “two steps back, no steps forward“. I don’t say this because Shariah Law is wrong in principle, I believe this because no two people in Pakistan can agree on the interpretation of Shariah Law. You cant impose a law that you don’t fully understand and agree on; can you?

This will also have an effect on many country’s that are at holding off an uprising from Islamic Fundamentalists. Is this the green light for those movements to start pushing ahead. Pakistan has what is known as a democratically elected government; something the rest of the world was happy with as opposed to rule by the Military.

Musharraf (ex-General) has spoken out and is against this peace deal. This deal would not have happened were he still in power. So the next question must be, is a democratically elected government better than military rule?

How come everyone is up in arms about the BNP ballerina being on a public payroll, but the government is happy to endorse faith schools – faith schools not only hold a belief in socio-political systems that differs from the mainstream, but they actually teach it to young people.

We’re just an utterly hypocritical society – we allow the BNP to exist, we believe that people are allowed to hold whatever view they want, and then we persecute them for doing so.

Instead of slamming this slightly divvy individual, surely we should be discussing the real merits of allowing fascist parties to exist in our strange democratic system. And if we allow the fascists to have a legitimate political party, why aren’t we allowing the Muslims to have a Sharia party? They are exactly the same: the BNP believe that many Brits should be expelled from the country. The Islamists believe that many Brits should not have the right to vote.

I vote for buying Sealand, expelling both the BNP and the UK Islamic Sharia Council there, and letting the dramas begin!